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North East MRT Line
The North East MRT Line (NEL) is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and the world's second longest fully underground, automated and driverless, rapid transit line after the Circle Line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations. Travelling from one end of this line to the other end takes 33 minutes. This line is coloured purple in the rail map. Overview As the name implies, the line connects central Singapore to the north-eastern part of the island. Transfer to the North South Line is provided at Dhoby Ghaut, to the East West Line at Outram Park and to the Circle Line at Serangoon, Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront. The North East Line interchanges with the Downtown Line at Chinatown and will interchange with a future extension of the Downtown Line at Little India. The North East Line will interchange with the future Thomson Line at Outram Park. This line was the first in Singapore to be entirely underground. The North East Line is the first line in Singapore to have artwork integrated into all its 16 stations under the Art in Transit programme. Other than the Art in Transit programme, the interior architecture for the stations are typical of the design of the early 2000s with lots of white, glass and steel. This kind of design can be seen in other subway stations built during this period like the Shenzhen Metro and Hong Kong MTR's Tseung Kwan O line. , trains operate at two-minute intervals during peak hours, five-minute intervals during mid-day service and six-minute intervals in the early morning and night times. With 16 stations and spanning 20km, the North East Line (NEL) is the world's fully automated and first driverless line. It uses Alstom Metropolis C751A trains. Trains usually dispatch from the Sengkang Depot. As the first heavy rail project that takes place almost 10 years after the North South and East West lines were fully finished, construction began when the Land Transport Authority was formed in October 1995. It is the ambitious project that weaved through the busy heritage areas such as Chinatown, Clarke Quay and Little India; through to mature and new residential estates such as Serangoon, Hougang, Sengkang and Punggol. Being fully underground, it ensures that the safety of passengers by providing platform screen doors at all stations. The stations are also fully air-conditioned to give a better travelling experience for commuters. The NEL is also part of the Art in Transit, a public art project by the LTA. History The North East line dates back to 1986, where the Communications Minister Yeo Ning Hong had announced that it would be "feasible to extend the MRT once it is 3 million". The line would have gone from Punggol and Seletar/Jalan Kayu to Outram Park. In the initial stages of planning, Outram Park was initially planned to be the southern terminus of the North East line. However, in 1993, the Land Transport Authority decided to extend the line southwards to HarbourFront, after noting that many people liked to go to the World Trade Centre (the present day HarbourFront Centre). The Land Transport Authority received approval for the construction of the North East line on 16 January 1996, shortly after the plans were feasible once the Hougang Central Bus Interchange is already opened since 17 December 1994. French company Alstom was chosen as the main contractor and manager of the project. The operating license was given to new rail operator Singapore Bus Service (present-day SBS Transit) on 20 May 1999 in order to foster competition with SMRT Trains. Construction began on 1 January 1997 and was completed on 20 January 2001, but all the stations had been completed with new signages. The line was scheduled for completion in December 2002, but due to various problems in the automation, the opening was repeatedly delayed. It was finally opened on 20 June 2003, with higher fares than existing lines supposedly to compensate for the heavy construction costs (S$4.6 billion). At the time that the line was opened, all of the stations were operating except Buangkok and Woodleigh. SBS Transit announced that these would open only when there was a critical mass of passengers in those areas. With respect to Buangkok, which had already been fully built, the company claimed that the projected number of passengers was too low to cover operating costs. Constant public pressure, notably the "White Elephant" incident and subsequent media attention, forced it to review the situation and the station duly opened on 15 January 2006. The last station on the line, Woodleigh, opened on 20 June 2011 in anticipation of an American International School which was under construction in the vicinity of the station that was slated to open in 2012. In December 2018, LTA announced that the line will undergo mid-life refurbishment works from 2019 onwards. A contract worth $116.7 million was awarded to CRCC Nanjing Puzhen for the refurbishment works. All 25 first-generation C751A trains will be upgraded. The trains' interior, such as seats, panels and flooring, will get a facelift, and the air-conditioning, ventilation and passenger information systems will be upgraded. Works are expected to be completed by 2024. North East line extension On 17 January 2013, a 2-kilometre extension which will run from Punggol through Punggol North including the new Punggol Downtown was announced. The extension will also serve the upcoming "creative cluster and learning corridor" in Punggol, which will include the Singapore Institute of Technology's new campus. It is expected to be completed by 2030. On 7 June 2017, it was announced by Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng that the North East line extension will open in 2023, 7 years ahead of the expected opening date. The single station extension will span 1.6km and will serve the future Punggol North area. Construction on the extension commenced in 2018. The line is connected to the Circle Line, East-West Line, North-South Line stations as well as Punggol and Sengkang LRT stations. In the future, the line will also be connected to the Downtown Line at Little India. There will also be future provisions to the Eastern Intercity Rail from Tanjong Pagar West intersection @ Outram Park. Services 62, 81, 82, 97, 103, 106, 111 and 502 were upgraded to Quality Incentive Contracts (QIC) and amended/shortened their services in 2003. Services 85, 501, 511 and 512 suffered their withdrawal which is longer waiting time and drop of loading. Service 147 is the only one left behind due to the heavy loading involved. The North East Line sweps through the recent overcrowding currently: #81: Serangoon - Outram Park #85: Sengkang - HarbourFront #97: Hougang - Suntec City #103: Serangoon - HarbourFront (St James Power Station) #106: Medway Drive - Plaza Singapura #111: Hougang - Plaza Singapura #128: Rivervale Mall - Chinatown Point #501: Sengkang - Tanjong Pagar #502: Sengkang - Plaza Singapura #511: Hougang - Park Mall #512: Hougang - Tanjong Pagar Stations Rolling stock The rolling stock consists of Alstom Metropolis C751A trains, running in six-car formation. These trains operate from Sengkang Depot near Buangkok Station on the North East Line. The Sengkang Depot has maintenance and train overhaul facilities for trains along the North East Line. In 2010, the government announced that they would be looking to increase the number of trains on the North East Line by 70% within 5 to 6 years to cater to an expected increase in passenger traffic. The new trains will be called Alstom Metropolis C751C. See also * List of driverless trains External links * North East Line * North East Line (SBS Transit) References Category:Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) lines Category:Railway lines opened in 2003